1. Field
The present invention relates to a child support apparatus which can be folded.
2. State of the Art
Child support apparatus such as buggies, pushchairs, prams and highchairs typically comprise a seat for seating a child and a frame on which the seat is mounted. The apparatus has an unfolded condition in which the apparatus is used and a folded condition in which it is reduced in size for storage or transportation. In some cases the seat is removed from the frame prior to folding and the frame collapsed or folded without the seat. In other cases the seat and the frame are folded whilst attached to one another. Buggies and pushchairs of this latter type which are currently on the market either have an unduly large size when in the folded condition or have an awkward shape rendering them inconvenient to store and transport. In particular, the way in which the seat is folded and positioned within the frame is not ideal.
Some buggies or pushchairs have a seating arrangement in which the seat can be orientated in a forward facing direction or a rearward facing direction according to the wishes of a parent or care giver. It is often the case with pushchairs of this type that folding may take place only when the seat is in the forward facing orientation. If the seat is in the rearward facing orientation, then prior to folding, it must first be removed and placed in the forward facing orientation. Some pushchairs of this type allow folding in the rearward facing orientation but the fold is noticeably worse in the rearward facing orientation than the forward facing orientation. In this regard, the rearward facing fold may be difficult to carry out, or the size or shape of the folded pushchair is larger or bulky when folded from a rearward facing orientation in comparison to a fold from the forward facing orientation.
There are currently only two pushchairs on the market which offer forward and rearward facing seating orientations where the fold in the rearward facing orientation is comparable to the fold in the forward facing orientation. The known buggies are the Baby Jogger® City Versa and the Bugaboo® Bee.